At Elm Tree Orthodontics, your child’s orthodontic health is our priority. Often, children do not begin treatment until middle school or early teenage years, when their braces are placed, but some require care earlier to establish a healthy foundation. Read on to learn all about our 7 & Up Club and how your child can benefit from our services!
What Is Our 7 & Up Club?
To protect and monitor your child’s teeth early in life, Elm Tree Orthodontics offers the 7 & Club program, which works to keep their oral health in check. We strive to create a safe and comfortable environment for your child as we observe their teeth and determine if they need early treatment before braces.
The name 7 & Up draws inspiration from the American Association of Orthodontists’s age recommendation of when to bring your child in for their first orthodontic appointment. Their teeth, gums, and jawbones are still moldable at this early age, making early care much smoother than when they get older. Our team can proactively address issues affecting their developmental growth by providing check-ins on your child’s teeth.
Common Conditions We Monitor For
Impacted Teeth
Teeth that grow in the wrong direction or do not emerge from the gums properly are known as impacted teeth. They can affect the growth of the surrounding baby and permanent teeth, creating a lack of space for others still coming in, causing irregular tooth development. Your child may have difficulty maintaining effective oral hygiene and suffer from increasing tooth sensitivity.
Thumb Sucking and Other Oral Habits
Behaviors such as thumb sucking, tongue posture, and snoring can impact your child’s jaw growth, teeth alignment, and their ability to chew correctly. If these oral habits persist past a certain age, they can become issues. For example, prolonged thumb sucking into early school age can change the shape of your child’s jaw, causing discomfort and poor alignment of the teeth.
These habits can have consequences on other everyday functions, such as poor digestion. Through the 7 & Up Club, Dr. Desai can spot early signs of these issues and help your child transition away from these bad habits before they become further complications.
Bite Issues
Commonly referred to as malocclusion by orthodontists, bite issues are irregularities or misalignments in the jaw, referring to how the upper and lower teeth fit together when they close their mouth. Various circumstances, including genetics, general development, facial injury, and poor dental habits, can cause them.
Bite issues in children may affect the proper growth of their jaw and face, even potentially causing damage to their gums. Overbite, crossbite, underbite, and protruding teeth are possible conditions, each altering the resting position of their teeth.
Aesthetic Concerns
Dental health and self-esteem are more closely linked than you may think. Common complications, like those listed above, can cause alterations in your child’s appearance, typically in the face and mouth area.
Depending on their severity, they can be detrimental to their confidence and make them less eager to show off their smile and express happiness in front of others. This could have long-term consequences at a young age. Elm Tree Orthodontics strives for every patient we treat to love their smile and have a positive outlook on their dental health. Our team will do everything possible to make this a reality for your child!
Benefits of Early Treatment
Early intervention of these common conditions allows us to create a healthy foundation for your child’s smile and set them up for straightforward oral care later in life. As mentioned, their bones are still malleable, allowing our team to rely on non-invasive treatment options over a more extended period of time while still achieving beautifully straightened teeth.
Not every child needs early treatment, but the benefits of monitoring allow us to understand where your child is currently at with their oral health and see where we can step in to help when necessary. When complications arise, the sooner they are dealt with, the better!
The 7 & Up Clubs allows Elm Tree Orthodontics to help your child through early care options such as two-phase treatment, where we treat these issues so braces are a more manageable process in the years to come.
How To Join the Club
Joining Elm Tree Orthodontic’s 7 & Up Club is simple! All you need to do is schedule your free consultation by filling out the form on our website. From there, a member of our team will reach out to you to find a time for you and your child to come in for a visit.
Don’t forget to mention your interest over the phone as well. Dr. Desai and our team will provide a thorough oral examination on the day of your child’s appointment. We will discuss their orthodontic needs and more details about the club so you can take advantage of the benefits!
Get Started on Your Child’s Orthodontic Health Today!
Serving Hamden, North Haven, and the surrounding communities with excellent orthodontic care, Dr. Desai and Elm Tree Orthodontics’ incredible team is expertly equipped to help you and your family with your needs. If you would like to learn more about the 7 & Up Club or any of our other services, contact either of our offices today so we can bring your family one step closer to achieving their smile goals. Schedule your free consultation with us today!